The Languedoc has long had to battle its underdog status & reputation as ocean of bulk wine production. Nowadays, that is a much-less-seen criticism and, when levied, moreso recalls the myopia of yesteryear than a proper accounting of what the hell’s actually going on down there. The south is one of the most exciting frontiers of French wine and for good reason – it wasn’t nearly as bogged down by the red-tape, price-points, & sometimes-snobbery of some of the more “chic” wine production areas. So there could be endeavor, experiment, & something inviting for the… endeavoring and exciting. It’s no wonder it has been home to so many natural wine success stories. Magali Terrier’s “Domaine des Deux Anes” is located in a typical setting here in France’s deep-south, along, essentially, the Natural Wine Route leading from the Languedoc thru the Roussillon & Banyuls and onto Catalonia. We are in Peyriac-de-Mer, which, indicated by its name, overlooks the sea from a rocky height, surrounded by the Mediterranean scrub known as ‘garrigue’ that can so awesomely influence a wine’s aromatics when faithfully produced. Since 2000, after a career working in different estates in her native Beaujolais & the Jura/Mâcon, she has worked her dream to reality, cultivating a range of impressive, generous wines that don’t cowtow to any flavors of the day; they are honest & honestly delicious.

For those hanging on to the last weeks, days, hours & minutes of summer, here’s a pink pet nat to keep the party going. From 100-year-old vines in the Languedoc, this is 100% Carignan, direct pressed and fermented in tank with wild yeasts. The wine finishes secondary fermentation in bottle and is undisgorged. No added SO2. Crisp, crunchy fruit and tart acidity, this is a bubbly watermelon jolly rancher in a glass.